We have a new guest review tonight from
Coheteboy on the terrific Marvel Legends series 3. Off to the review!

Toy Biz's popular Marvel Legends line is
back again with Series III featuring four more favorite superheroes and
super villains! In case you forgot, Series 1 was: Toad, Hulk, Captain
America, and Iron-Man. Series II, that seemed to come out only
yesterday includes: Namor, The Human Torch, The Thing, and Dr. Doom.
Series III takes on a more edgy destination featuring: Magneto, Thor,
Ghost Rider, and Wolverine. If you've seen the previous series, then
you should already know the standard figure with base and comic.

The short-packed variant this time around is Wolverine without his mask.
The rest of the figure is essentially the same but should be very easy to
spot, IF you happen to have good fortune that day.

Packaging - ***1/2The
clam shell packaging is all the same as previously seen, but since the bases
are much larger this time around, so is the bubble. If you were
expecting the same sturdy bubbles, you might have to look a little harder
this time.

Sculpting - ***1/2Since
Series III features much more popular characters, it is definitely going to
let down some fans no matter how they sculpt these figures. But what
Toy Biz has done here is still quite remarkable. For instance, there
is no way that you can mistake any of these figures for figures from
previous lines. Parts are reused of course but there's enough new to
make a good first appearance. And actually, fans might be more
disappointed with this line on its first appearance than they were with
Series II.

Magneto, villain of the X-Men, for example might face most of the criticism
from the head sculpt. It definitely isn't bad and it does get more
appreciation the more you look at it, but it's certainly does not share
quite the resemblance it does with the comic book provided. But still,
you can always place the helmet over his head and move on.

The Mighty Thor is the large figure of the mix and is well sculpted all
around. One minor nit pick would be the facial expression, as one
angle might make Thor look angry (which is cool), and the other angle might
make Thor look like he's having an Eeyore moment (which is... funny/bad).

Wolverine is an updated version of a previously released figure and looks
near identical at first but the Marvel Legends version of course has much
more points of articulation. The sculpt here is just awesome and is
pretty much perfect in my book. I probably wouldn't have showed as
much teeth but that's just another one of my nitpicks and could be just fine
for someone else.

Ghost Rider probably looks the best here since aside from his head, is more
simple. The head and flames are terrific in every way. The level
of detail just makes this line one of the best out there. The
additional spikes on his shoulder and wrists are also a welcome feature.

Overall, a terrific bunch in terms of sculpting, though some may have their
own opinions. See the photos for your own decision.

Paint
- *** 1/2The paint ops are excellent all around. Great color on the flesh
tones, eyes, and features. Wolverine even has arm hair, although it
ends up looking like a million scars.

Ghost Rider is the most impressive in paint details. A seemingly black
outfit is filled with different shades of gray throughout, giving a very
dynamic and realistic look. The flames are also filled with various
highlights, looking very sharp.

The great quality of Ghost Rider almost makes poor Wolverine and Magneto
look rather plain in comparison. Wolverine's yellow shirt is nothing
more, as is Magneto's armor. I believe these two figures would have
improved a great deal with just a few added shades. But they're still
great looking figures.

Just an added note on the bases, all are very well detailed as well.
Good job, Toy Biz!

Articulation - ****
You can't get any more articulated than this in 6"! This is as
articulated as you can get in a 6" figure. There are far too many
points of articulation to list here, but all have the now standard head,
shoulders, bicep, elbows, wrists, fingers, waist, leg, thigh, knee, calf,
heel, toe movements.

Ghost Rider has 37 total points of articulation, but unfortunately his jaw
is glued shut, though originally intended for movement. Magneto has 36
points of articulation, Wolverine has 33, and Thor has 31. Not too
shabby for the entire series to have over thirty points each!

This might not be the case with everyone, but Thor appears to have very weak
joints at the leg, being incredibly small for the size. The heavy cape
almost keeps Thor from being able to stand straight up. Again, this
might not be with all Thors.

And like all Toy Biz figures, you may have to free up a few of these joints
as some may have become stuck while in transit. The shoulders don't go
as far as you'd like but you can't complain with this many points of
articulation.

Accessories - **1/2Much like the previous lines, there aren't very many accessories to go
around.

Magneto: Detailed base and removable helmet.

Thor: Detailed base and Hammer.

Ghost Rider: Chain and Motorcycle.

Wolverine: Detailed Base.

Value - **1/2
Depending on where you shop, the value will obviously be affected.
Mine were purchased at Bigbadtoystore.com for $35.99 + $4.99 shipping,
making that over $10 per figure. I still left the value higher because
I normally would have waited to find it at Toys'R'Us: $7.99, Target: $6.99,
or Wal-Mart: $6.77.

Overall - ***1/2There's no real complaints whatsoever with this line. Toy Biz
seems to raise the bar each time with the amount of articulation and detail.
Usually there's a figure in the line that is the least favorite and it's
really hard to pick one this time. Personally, it's Thor because he
can't stand up without crouching, but had I picked up a figure with better
joints, that wouldn't be a problem. Favorites of this series would
definitely go to Ghost Rider and Wolverine since both are the most fun to
pose. Had Ghostie's jaw been articulated, he'd definitely be the best
of the bunch!

Where to Buy - As mentioned
before, Big Bad Toy Store was
where I picked mine up, but they are currently sold out. If you give
them a call, you can check on the status of their inventory. At $36
for the set, that's $9 each, and their flat shipping rate is great.